Today is our interview with the talented Kiki Howell, author a captivating paranormal/fantasy romance, Irreconcilable Differences. Want to win a copy of her book? Leave us a comment with your email address and you will be automatically entered into the contest.
How did you come up with the storyline for Irreconcilable Differences?
Actually, it was a combination of things. First, a friend told me I should look at these books of her husband’s about the Dungeons and Dragons game. She thought all the descriptions of paranormal creatures might spark a story idea. Guess she was right. When I read about sorcerer’s and wizards not getting along due to the differences in their magic, the idea of writing a paranormal story on stereotypes, a romance between two people from opposing backgrounds started forming in my mind. Somewhere along the line, I came got the urge to add magical battles and family secrets.
Are the characters named after, or based on people you know/famous people/etc?
No. Names just kind of hit me, most often. They pop into my head and sound right for the character’s personality, like in this story. Other times I go through baby name books online, searching by meaning, until something strikes me.
Why are Sorcerers and Wizards enemies?
In this story, sorcerers have innate powers they come into at a certain age. They come wild, and a sorcerer has to learn to control them. Often their magic comes faster and is stronger. A wizard on the other hand is born with the capacity for power and through eduction and spells, from an early age, brings them into being. While slower in coming, the spells are more specific. Thus a sorcerer’s ends up the body guard for wizards hired to break a binding spell.
What interested you about the paranormal/fantasy genre?
I have always loved what was beyond reality. I think from an early age I read to escape, typical Pisces! LOL I read and write to enter a different world, one more fantastic than the one I sometimes feel like a trapped outsider in ;)
Have you written strictly in this genre or have you explored others?
I have explored other genres a little. I do like the challenge of writing magical realism, sticking to reality and Wiccan teachings, which I have done quite a bit of. Recently though, I have written a couple of more chick lit, contemporary stories: an erotic romance of a sexual journey between a man and a wife and a romantic comedy.
How did you find your voice for Irreconcilable Differences?
I had to get fiesty and fighty! LOL Actually I had a lot of fun with that. At times too much fun, as critque partners had me fix places where my hero got too arrogant and they wanted to slap him or where my heroine got too bitchy.
Who do you feel is the stronger or maybe braver of the two character, Myleana or Aaron?
Definitely Aaron. He is the one who has had the hard life, and learns and loses a lot in the story. Myleana has her own confidence and strengths to go after what she wants, but her life had been easy until meeting Aaron.
Is anything in your book based on fact, or experience? If so, could you/would you share it?
While there is no specific scene that is based in real life, the lessons learned about quick judgements of others and getting past stereotypes to compassion are things I feel very strongly about.
If you had to let any other author currently writing take over your characters and write with them... who do you feel would be the most faithful to them?
Guess I would have to pick favorite authors that I read, not know, who never let me down with their stories like Teresa Medeiros, Hannah Howell or Annette Blair.
Are you currently working on any other projects?
I actually just finished up several. I just wrote the first in a series of stories which take place in Salem, MA after going there last summer. I am waiting to hear the verdict to the houses I subbed it to! I don’t get much writing time in the summer with two boys out of school and living in a lake community.
Where can readers purchase your books?
Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords, Fictionwise, All Romance Ebooks, etc. Each store name is linked to my author page there.
Where can readers connect with you on the web?
Can you share an excerpt from your book?
“You may go in now,” the uptight and nervous creature beside him said while still
wiping away at his wool coat.
Aaron did as he said, but stopped up short just inside the opening. He could not
yet see into the cave, as the neck of it angled around, but he could feel the residue of the pain of the earth. The place had been formed by explosions just as he had thought.
A sorcerer such as himself did not need a dowsing rod to know how tragically the
mystical force field of the land had been disrupted by man here. Both positive and negative energy accosted him. It was the ground’s way of whispering the past to him.
Aaron was surprised the walls were not visibly weeping.
The cave in its short life had housed much and now moaned out its misery to
those who knew how to listen. It was a viable and living thing searching for compassion to its plight. He touched the wall letting his fingers move over it in a gentle caress.
Pressure built in his skull, pounding like tiny hammers in time with the tap of an
expensive but now scuffed leather boot.
“David? Is that you? Aren’t you coming in?” The sound of the voice which floated
around the odd bend of the wall sounded like a siren’s song. It called him in. His breath hitched. He moved forward cutting off David with a rigid step. Only when he made the turn and saw her for the first time did he tense against the tiny spasms of his muscles.
He became sentient of his body’s needs, of not only his urges as a man but of the
much-ignored void left in him by his lonely existence. The later he usually was able to deny, even to himself.
Never had he been forced to endure such a reaction to any woman before. Aaron
found himself unorthodoxly inquisitive of such a complete and utter stranger. Before he even began to look down over the perfection of her generous curves, he was taken aback by the power she emanated. He didn’t know how long she had been working in here, but for a wizard there was an inordinate amount of magic. Gentle and loving, but powerful and all-encompassing at the same time, its spirit dripped from everything inside this tortured place. What the hell has she been working on?
A nudge by a boney elbow brought him back.
“Aaron, can you say ‘hi’ to Myleana?”
“Aaron? Hi,” she said stepping with great hesitation toward him. Green eyes
which glistened with various hues looked into his. He felt like every hurt, every demon he had ever battled, could be eased away by the magic in her gaze. Focus!
“Hi.” It was the only word that came out. He puzzled at the odd pinch of his
cheeks realizing too late he was smiling. Something he rarely did.
“Hi.” The scrunch of her brow battled with the smile on her face. The slant of her head confirmed she was leery of him. “He seems to be coming back around, David.”
“Aaron, is there something wrong?” The other man’s icy voice chilled him awake.
~ * ~
A big thank you to Kiki Howell for taking time out to chat with us today. She will be our guest on Blog Talk Radio this Wednesday at 3:30 pm PST. Go to our show channel and set yourself a reminder for the day of the show.
Now's your chance to win a copy of Irreconcilable Differences. Leave a comment with your email address in the preferred format of: parayournormalteam (at) gmail (dot) com and you are entered. Thanks for stopping by to read the interview. We hope you'll listen to Wednesday's live interview to learn more about Kiki and her book. See you on the stream~
this sounds like a great book! I always love a good magical book!
ReplyDeleteerindanzer (at) gmail (dot) com
Thanks for having me! Looking forward to our Blog Talk Radio interview :)
ReplyDeleteIt was our pleasure, Kiki. We look forward to chatting with you on Blog Talk!
ReplyDeleteLoved the intereview! Can’t wait to check out the book, and I will be sure to listen in on the Blog Talk Radio
ReplyDeletebooksavvybabe AT gmail DOT com
BookSavvyBabe